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Georgia colleges exploring new ways to recruit students

University System of Georgia officials discussed a new plan Tuesday to recruit more students who graduate from the state’s public schools.

The system’s chancellor, Steve Wrigley, also announced an initiative Tuesday aimed at producing more college graduates by 2025 and degree holders who will be ready for the work force.

The percentage of Georgia high school graduates who attended colleges and universities in the University System of Georgia has declined from 46 percent in 2009 to 41 percent in 2015, according to state data. Georgia Board of Regents members and others suggested the decline could be attributed to the economy and rising costs to attend college.

“It is clear we need to reverse this trend,” said Matt Hauer, a demographer who lead the presentation.

To reverse the declining numbers, the USG has created an internal online portal it hopes will show where they can recruit students.

The portal shows what percentage of students in each Georgia public high school attend any type of higher institution, join the workforce or do other things upon graduation. Some board members noticed a higher percentage of graduates who joined the workforce in northwest and South Georgia, which they suggested could be places to recruit more students.

Hauer and his team also suggested some USG institutions could use the portal’s data to increase diversity on their campuses.